What is Advocacy?

Advocacy is not new and is part of everyday life. People advocate (or speak up) every day for themselves, for their children, for their relatives and for their friends. Concerned individuals advocate for people whose rights are particularly vulnerable and whose contribution as citizens is undervalued. There is a spectrum or continuum of advocacy, which ranges from legal advocacy through to the informal support and/or encouragement of a friend.

Very often, these forms of 'advocacy' have evolved organically. Lawyers and advice providers obviously advocate to some extent for their clients, but would not necessarily use the word 'advocacy' in their title. Family members, carers and friends often have to take on the role of advocate. Although each of the different forms of advocacy is distinct, there are links between them. Rarely are a person's needs addressed entirely by one form of advocacy.

Sometimes more formal methods of advocacy are required and this is often referred to as Independent advocacy. This is the type of advocacy we refer to throughout this website.  Advocacy is a tool that can be used in a variety of ways to ensure that minority and disadvantaged groups in society have a means to know about, and gain, the same life opportunities as others.

Independent Advocacy aims to achieve a more equal and just society. There are many people in our society who are ignored because they have difficulty in gaining the attention that is needed to make sure their views and opinions are listened to and acted upon. This leads to them being marginalized and often socially excluded.

Advocacy has the potential to make a considerable difference in individuals' lives. Some of these differences are small and indefinable, such as an increase in confidence and understanding choices, or gaining the skills to speak up for oneself. Other differences are much more significant and tangible, where the new "voice" obtained through advocacy support has meant that people are listened to in a way that allows them to influence the services they receive: for example, to live in a home of their own choosing or to have their human and civil rights upheld by challenging systems. Whether differences are big or small, the impact is the same: that of improving the quality of a person's life.

Independent Advocacy offers support for people who are seeking resolutions to any issues that are of concern to them, by ensuring that their voice is heard and that they understand their civil and human rights. Advocacy is closely linked to the principles of Human Rights, disability discrimination, equality of opportunities and the social model of disability.

An advocate is a means to redressing the balance of power by providing a mixture of:

• Support
• Signposting
• links to other services
• sharing information and knowledge to support decision making
• being a 'voice' to ensure that people's rights are respected.

Advocacy offers an effective means to:

• express choice
• develop the confidence to express satisfaction or dissatisfaction
• receive information
• minimise risk
• offer control to avoid exclusion
• provide strength to attain empowerment

Advocacy is guided by the principle that every person should be valued and respected, and ensures that people are not ignored and excluded because of the prejudices they face. Advocacy promotes a person centred approach in everything it aims to achieve and is based on the belief that everyone has the right to:

• be respected and listened to
• be involved in decisions that affect their lives
• have aspirations for their future